What do you shave with?

Originally Posted by Thomas

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Stretch your skin: pull it up over the jawline on the sides. Under the chin, jut your chin out, stretch the skin by pulling down, and watch your blade angle closely.

Haven't figured out stretching my skin, and there's a couple places I still haven't figured out, but here's how my story with wet shaving has gone over the past 7 months:

First I got a razor and blades shipped to me, but still didn't have a brush and soap. Went at it anyway. First shave (after spending time in a sauna/steam room) was awesome. After that it was downhill for a couple weeks, then it went back up.

After about a month, it was taking me ~45 minutes per shave and I was getting razor burn. I was following all the advice about shaving with the grain, re-applying cream, then across/against the grain, but it didn't seem to matter.

After a bad case of razor burn (face still hurt two days later) and a particularly bloody shave (girlfriend gasped when I came out of the bathroom), I went back to the Mach 5 or whatever it is I had been using.

Interestingly, I noticed immediately that my shave with the cartridge razor had improved quite a bit as I paid attention to the fact that 'the grain' goes in different directions in different places. I also noticed that there are two places where the hairs all grown in different directions in like a whirl shape (any tips for this?)

Then I finally got a brush and soap about a month ago and went back to my Merkur. It's made a world of difference and the red irritated bumps I used to get all over my neck have ALMOST disappeared, but oddly my shaves aren't as close as they had been before with the DE, or the cartridge razor. That is until Monday morning when I had maybe the best shave of my life (so good, I made it my status update on Facebook). It was two passes with the grain, one pass against the grain.

I'm still not convince I'm building the lather correctly. It doesn't look like it does in the youtube videos. Maybe b/c I'm using soap instead of cream.

So here's the routine I'm with now:

I have Sensitive, oily skin

Pre-shave: olive oil
lather: AOS scentless shaving soap
brush: Edwin Jagger badgerhair brush (the one that used to be the Crabtree and Evelyn brush)
Razor: Merkur HD
Blades: Have a variety pack. Use one blade 3-4 times now
After shave: Zirh "Vanish" (or something like that. Since I started using the brush/soap, I haven't used it as much), or Dior Homme aftershave (was a gift). Depending on the time of day and how my neck feels, I may also add this aftershave balm I have that has sunscreen in it. Can't remember the brand, but just got it at a CVS... was right next to teh Nivea stuff, but I stopped using Nivea when for no reason my skin started peeling off like I had a sunburn or something (which I didn't).

There is a thread on badger and blade discussing how to make a rich lather out of soap. I think you can find it under newbie clinic, then the stickied thread.

Originally Posted by unrated

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There is a thread on badger and blade discussing how to make a rich lather out of soap. I think you can find it under newbie clinic, then the stickied thread.



(damn I'm such a geek sometimes.)

Originally Posted by stvwrd

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Interestingly, I noticed immediately that my shave with the cartridge razor had improved quite a bit as I paid attention to the fact that 'the grain' goes in different directions in different places. I also noticed that there are two places where the hairs all grown in different directions in like a whirl shape (any tips for this?)
I have the same thing on my jaw. For me I get resistance if I go up-down or down-up, so to avoid razor burn I have to do a diagonal combination. Same with under my jaw, I struggled with bumps for so long too so it was great when I finally noticed and corrected it.

Keep in mind to avoid razor bumps your last few slides should be with the grain. I use king of shaves' shaving oil which guarantees no razor burn, plus I can see where I'm shaving and I constantly run my finger down where I'm shaving to know which direction to go next. I haven't got one yet using it plus I'm African-American so my curly hair is much more prone to bumps.

Originally Posted by Thomas

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easy: Acquisition Disorders. First you get a razor and blades. Then you read someone rave about another razor, and different blades. They're fairly inexpensive, everyone has a collection - and they've been at it a while and it's the norm - so you pick up a few more. Soon you have a herd of razors and a bunch of blades.

Then you turn to soaps. Some are soap guys, some are cream guys, others rotate and are seasonal. Some swear by English tallow soaps, some go for French milled soaps, shea butter blends, glycerin/clay formulas, and different scents, too!!! So you try a few and a few more, and guys are off-loading their soaps all the time, so soon you have a drawer or a cabinet of soaps and creams.

Then you hear the whispers...straight razors...shhh. scary, those things. Sneeze, and you've lost an ear. Old School at its finest. Nothing between the blade and a smooth face. ...Here's one on the board, pretty reasonable. You send your funds via paypal and now have a gleaming weapon of beardly destruction. Maybe it works for you, maybe you wish it were more...substantial. You get a bigger one. You hear about grinds: hollow, quarter-hollow, wedge. Different steels: Sheffield, Solingen, Japanese. Old makers, long-lost pieces of history in your hands. You find a deal on ebay, it's dull - how do I sharpen this? Hones, strops, pastes, powders...it's sharp enough, right? It's rickety? How do I fix this so it's beautiful?

At least, that's how it went for me. I don't post on those boards like I used to, though. Two drawers-full is my limit.

lmao

Saw a thread posted on B&B (shave dens) and I seen this first hand, I'm thinking this gotta be a joke, then I wonder what their significant others are thinking. Why would anyone need 20 razors, 15 brushes, 50 soaps/creams, 5 stands.

I bought a DE because I have ingrown hair issues, and I don't plan on getting more then I need.

Originally Posted by lefty

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It's shaving. If you can't master it by the third try time to hand in your membership card to all things manly.

lefty

this is more than a little dumb considering what forum you're on

Originally Posted by tyronegoldberg

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lmao

Saw a thread posted on B&B (shave dens) and I seen this first hand, I'm thinking this gotta be a joke, then I wonder what their significant others are thinking. Why would anyone need 20 razors, 15 brushes, 50 soaps/creams, 5 stands.

why would anyone need yohji yamato drop crotch pants and ccp boots?

I bought a DE because I have ingrown hair issues, and I don't plan on getting more then I need.

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same but i don't care if others do.

Originally Posted by tyronegoldberg

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lmao

Saw a thread posted on B&B (shave dens) and I seen this first hand, I'm thinking this gotta be a joke, then I wonder what their significant others are thinking. (...)

I see I forgot to mention the clandestine PO box.

This is what I shave with.

Originally Posted by oroy38

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This is what I shave with.

you call that a knife?

The "Shave the Right Way" article on the website goes into plenty of detail about how to shave thoroughly without hurting yourself. How strange that it never was mentioned in this thread before.

i started reading the badger and blade site a couple months ago and started putting together the best reviewed items at a decent price

best badger brush from edwin and jagger(buy from england for $30)
murkur HD with murkur blades
crabtree and evlynn sandlewood soap (a little drying but smells nice)
nivida for men aftershave (walggreens $5)
stypic pencil (walgreens $1)

using the "kyle method" to shave and ive had the best shaves in my life....it makes it a lot of fun and relaxing to go through my routine with a lather, hot towel on face, lather, shave and repeat. No irritation and the closest shavess ive ever had....invest a little time learning to shave well and itll pay off big time over the rest of your lifetime. Blades for the safety razor can be as little at 10 cents each, not 2 or 3 bucks like the mach4. Im never going back to mach or automatic remington shaver again.

ps: slow down when you shave

I've only ever saved with cheap supermarket razors, and they do a pretty good job.

Just got a new medicine cabinet because the small one in my apartment bathroom didn't have enough space for all my creams, soaps and other shaving stuff.

Thomas do you have a huge bathroom given your shaving and scent collections?

Might finally get around to shaving since people have been nagging me long enough these last few years.

Tips? What's a good 'starter kit' to shave? I know I probably sound like a 12 year old with 1 armpit hair but can anyone help me out here? I'm shaving my moustache and like a small beard. Not a real man's facial hair but enough for people to say 'dude you should shave'.

Originally Posted by EnglishGent

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(...)Thomas do you have a huge bathroom given your shaving and scent collections?

actually, it is a large-ish bathroom but by no means palatial. As for storage...it's rather byzantine and a bit embarrassing now that I consider it...but suffice it to say that the current rotation of soaps and creams takes up a single drawer, with the backup shaving goods and perfume stocks are kept in various drawers and shelves in the bedroom and closet. The razors sit in a pile on a shelf in the (locking) closet.

I shudder at the thought of trying to consolidate them all.